The U.S. Navy sent a warship on Tuesday (October 27) within 12 nautical miles of two artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea, a U.S. defence official told Reuters, in a challenge to China’s territorial claims in the area.
The official said the patrol was carried out by the destroyer USS Lassen near Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly archipelago, features that were formerly submerged at high tide before China began a massive dredging project to turn them into islands in 2014.
China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year.
The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims.
U.S. President Barack Obama said he told Chinese President Xi Jinping he had “significant concerns” about the islands when Xi made his first state visit to Washington late in September.
Xi said at the time China had no intention to militarize the islands, but Washington analysts and U.S. officials say China has already begun creating military facilities, and the only question is how much military hardware it will install.
The move to send U.S. patrols in the area is set to challenge China’s stance.
The territorial dispute is seen by many as one of Asia’s most dangerous hot spots, posing risks that it could result in conflict as countries stake their claims. (Reuters)